New York Mayor Bloomberg recently asked his critics this question pertaining to his proposed ban of cup sizes over 16 ounces: “Is purchasing two 16-ouncers instead of one 32-ounce too much of an inconvenience to help reverse a national health catastrophe?”

You might have asked (as I did): Wouldn’t two 16-ounce sodas be just as bad for you as one 32-ouncer?

The answer, according to information provided by the Nanny of NYC, is no.

According to a graphic on Michael Bloomberg’s Facebook page, doubling the size of a sugared soda larger than 16 ounces more than doubles the amount of sugar and calories.

From the IMAO blog by way of Bad Blue, see if you notice anything strange about the numbers here as the cup sizes ascend:

The first thing I wondered was if ice volume assumptions were made (an easy way to skew the data that certainly wouldn’t be above the pay grade of any good health cop). However, the calorie and sugar count shown on the 12 ounce size above nearly matches that in a 12 ounce can of coke, which means “no ice.” So as the sizes increase, assuming there’s any amount of ice in larger cups would make the calorie and sugar numbers go down, not up. But that’s okay, because it helps Bloomberg prove that he’s saving lives.

On the graphic we can see that two 16 ounce sodas contain a total of 360 calories and 98g of sugar. One 32 ounce soda contains 374 calories and 102g of sugar. This means that a 32 ounce soda has 14 calories and four grams of sugar more than an equal amount served in two 16-ounce cups. How the sugar and calories know they’re in a larger cup, which somehow causes them to party and reproduce, remains a mystery.

So if you’re going to have a pre-sweetened drink today, make it two 16 ounce cups instead of one 32 ounce vat and you’ll help put a small dent in reversing the national health catastrophe. The science is settled!